How To Make Chicory Coffee (Or Tea)

You may have heard that chicory coffee is a poor man’s version of regular coffee, but that is not the case. This is one of the many coffee substitutes in the world. Due to its lack of caffeine and taste similar to that of real coffee, people often use it to reduce their caffeine intake.

You can find it as a delicacy in coffee shops around the world, but it is a special landmark of New Orleans. The best part is that you can try this delicious beverage at home. Let’s find out more about chicory root coffee and how to make it on your own.

Luckily, you can make your own chicory coffee at home. Once you have the ground chicory root, you can brew it and serve it in various ways. But first, you need to gather all the necessities.

Extra notes:

• Chicory roots: Since there are different varieties of chicory plants, you can choose whichever you can get. Wild chicory grows freely in the USA, so search for a tall plant with a blue flower. If you can’t get wild chicory, you can also use a root of endive (also from the chicory family).
• Baking sheet or a shallow pan: You’ll need to roast the pieces of the root, just like with raw coffee beans.
• A burr grinder: You’ll need your chicory to be ground so you can make proper coffee. If you don’t have a grinder, you can manually try to turn the root into powder. For example, with mortar and pestle.
• Regular coffee (optional): If you want the addition of coffee to your chicory drink.
• Milk (optional): You will need milk if you want to make chicory café au lait (café latte), one of the famous variations of this coffee.
• Coffee machine: It can be any device that you use to brew your coffee, such as a French press, pour-over, espresso machine, or other.

How To Make Chicory Coffee

Chicory coffee is one of the many coffee alternatives you can make especially if you’re cutting down your caffeine intake. Now that you have all the ingredients, you can brew your own drink at home. Here is what you have to do.

1. Mince the roots.

The roots are sturdy, so you’ll need a sharp knife, especially since the pieces shouldn’t be longer than 1 inch. If you don’t cut them in the same size, there’s a chance that they will not roast evenly.

2. Roast the chicory pieces.

Arrange them on a shallow baking pan or a baking sheet and place them into the oven. Toast them at 350 degrees until their color changes to golden brown. If you can sense a coffee-like smell, this means they are finished.

3. Grind the roots.

Place the roasted chicory roots into your burr grinder and grind them with the same coarseness as you grind your coffee beans. Ideally, it should be a fine grind if you’ll brew them in an espresso machine or a coarser grind if you have a French press, etc.

4. Mix chicory with ground coffee.

The ratio is up to you. If you want the taste of coffee without the caffeine stimulation, you can try with a 4:1 ratio of chicory to coffee. Sometimes a 2:3 chicory-to-coffee blend of is good if you want to gradually reduce your caffeine intake. If you want to spread out your coffee supply over a longer period, adding four-fifths of chicory would be enough. Alternatively, you don’t have to add coffee at all for a true chicory coffee.

5. Brew your coffee.

Use the chicory and coffee powder mix to make the coffee as you regularly would. All the other factors such as time or technique should be the same.

6. Add some foamed milk.

Now, add foamed milk on top of the drink. Sprinkle toppings, or flavorings to enhance the aroma and serve your chicory root coffee.

SEE other coffee alternative recipes below:

• How to Make a Qishr (Ginger-Coffee Recipe)
• What is Cascara?
• Chagaccino Recipe: Trendy Mushroom-Coffee Drink

What Does Chicory Coffee Taste Like?

If the roots are fresh and you roasted them and ground them correctly, your chicory root coffee should have a similar taste to regular coffee. Due to its ‘groundy’ taste, it is especially similar to Robusta. However, it has a sweeter aroma.

Famous food blogger Hank Shaw describes the chicory root coffee in his article:

The Origins of Chicory Coffee

If you are from New Orleans, you probably already know which coffee shops have the best chicory coffee. Burt Benrud, Vice President of the renowned Café du Monde, this city’s landmark, says about this coffee (1):

During the historical economic recessions, such as the American Civil War or the Great Depression, stocks of coffee were dwindling. Citizens of New Orleans, a city historically notable for its coffee shops, had to find suitable alternatives.

The chicory grounds tasted similar to regular coffee, and with the right brew, there was hardly any difference. Today, this coffee is part of the city’s tradition.

Health Benefits and Downsides of Chicory Coffee

First of all, chicory is caffeine-free. As such, if you need to limit your caffeine intake, it is a better coffee substitute than decaf. Other than this, this coffee may lower blood sugar and reduce inflammation. That’s because the root contains inulin, which manages blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Dr. David Perlmutter, a famous neurologist who researches the impact of nutrition on the brain (2), says:

On the other hand, if you’re allergic to ragweed and birch pollen, you should avoid chicory. Chicory itself can cause some allergic reactions such as pain or swelling. Pregnant women shouldn’t consume it either because it can cause miscarriage or menstrual bleeding in some instances (3).

Final Thoughts

When you make your own chicory coffee, try to spice it up with some fine additions. If you know how to make a latte, you can also try out chicory café au late.

Since there is no difference between serving this coffee and regular coffee, you can experiment in similar ways. Who knows, maybe you end up loving chicory more than coffee itself.